Butchering processes for meat products

ABSTRACT

A method for mass-production butchering of a chuck roll of beef includes: sectioning the chuck roll anterior to and generally parallel to the first rib to separate a neck portion thereof from a remainder thereof; sectioning the remainder into a first portion and a second portion substantially along a natural seam, the first portion comprising rhomboideus, spinalis dorsi, and serratus ventralis muscles, and the second portion comprising multifidus dorsi, complexus, and longissimus dorsi muscles; sectioning the first portion to substantially remove the rhomboideus and the spinalis dorsi therefrom, leaving a denuded serratus ventralis; sectioning the serratus ventralis into a first set of separate portions. The method may further include: sectioning the second portion into a second set of separate portions, each separate portion in the second set including the multifidus dorsi, complexus, and longissimus dorsi muscles.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/405,106 filed Mar. 16, 2009, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/672,501 filed Feb. 7, 2007 and issued as U.S.Pat. No. 7,503,839, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/612,444 filed Dec. 18, 2006 and issued as U.S.Pat. No. 8,043,146, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/277,707 filed Mar. 28, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,678,which in turn claims the benefits of Provisional Application No.60/668,606 filed Apr. 6, 2005 and entitled “Butchering Processes forMeat Products” under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), and the entire contents of theseprior applications are expressly incorporated herein by referencethereto.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a butchering process for meat products. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a butchering process for thechuck portion of a beef carcass.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the United States, the organized grading of cattle and beef hasbecome particularly important in the promotion and marketing of qualityproducts. Administered by the United States Department of Agriculture,the grading system is used to assign a distinct level of quality tocattle carcasses.

Carcass beef grades include a “yield grade” and a “quality grade.” Theyield grade, denoted by the numbers 1 through 5, generally refers to thedegree of cutability of the carcass and serves as an indicator of theamount of closely trimmed (½ inch fat or less), boneless retail cutsexpected to be derived from the major wholesale cuts of the carcass.“Yield Grade 1” represents the highest degree of cutability. The qualitygrade, on the other hand, separately indicates the palatability of thelean. Carcasses of steers and heifers may be graded as Prime, Choice,Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner, in descendingorder of quality; carcasses of cows may receive any of these gradesexcept Prime. Bullock carcasses may be graded as Prime, Choice, Select,Standard, and Utility. Steers are considered male bovines castrated whenyoung and which have not begun to develop the secondary physicalcharacteristics of bulls, while heifers are considered young, such asless than 3 year old immature female bovines that have not developed thephysical characteristics typical of cows, e.g., have not borne a calfCows are considered female bovines that have developed throughreproduction or with age, the physical characteristics typical of maturefemales, and bullocks are considered young, such as under approximately24 months of age, male bovines that have developed or begun to developthe secondary physical characteristics of bulls.

The highest quality grade, USDA Prime, is reserved for beef withabundant marbling (defined as flecks of fat within the lean muscle),thus providing a juicy and flavorful meat that also is tender. USDAPrime, for example, may have more than 8% intramuscular fat. Only asmall percent of all graded carcass beef qualifies as USDA Prime. Aswould be expected, Prime beef is favored by hotels and restaurants, is asuccessful commercial export product from the United States, and also isavailable through retail sales to discriminating consumers. Because itrepresents the highest quality, beef certified as USDA Prime commandsthe highest prices in the market.

The carcass typically refers to both sides of the animal, whereas a siderefers to half of the carcass including both a frontquarter and ahindquarter. From the standpoint of profitability the hindquarter cutsof the carcass, which represent about half of a side of a beef carcass,traditionally have been greatest in demand. In particular, thehindquarter includes the full loin with the short loin and sirloin, theround, flank, and kidney knob. Thus, the hindquarter is the source ofthe well known beef cuts including the top loin steak, T-bone steak,porterhouse steak, tenderloin roast or steak (such as chateaubriand orfilet mignon), top sirloin steak, sirloin steak, tenderloin roast orsteak, beef tri-tip, round steak, top round roast or steak, and rumproasts.

The frontquarter, which represents the other half of a side of a beefcarcass, includes the chuck, rib, plate, brisket and shank. Productstypically produced from the frontquarter include cuts such as the ribroast or steak, rib eye roast or steak, back ribs, skirt steak, andwhole brisket. The chuck, although used for such cuts as a pot roast(chuck roast), is not considered to be among the wholesale cuts that ismost profitable and in demand. Beef from the chuck typically istransformed into lower cost ground beef chuck for example for use inproducing ground beef chuck patties.

Once a carcass has been graded as Prime, each of the cuts from thecarcass retain that designation. Thus, cuts from both the frontquarterand hindquarter are graded Prime, including the less profitable Primechuck. There exists a need to make use of the chuck to produce steaksinstead of simply being used as roasts or being ground into ground beefchuck. Moreover, there exists a need to make use of the Prime chuck toproduce Prime steaks instead of simply being ground into Prime groundbeef chuck. Because of the demand for the more costly cuts of Primebeef—which for example restaurants and hotels prefer to offer tocustomers—the ability to make use of Prime chuck for steaks may lead toenhanced profitability derived from this portion of the carcass. Therehas been substantial industry interest in enhancing the value of thefrontquarter. For example, scientists from the University of Nebraskaand the University of Florida even conducted a study for the Cattlemen'sBeef Board and analyzed more than 5,500 muscles of the beef chuck andround to assist in developing new beef products. Commercialization ofthe flat iron steak, a shoulder top blade steak cut from the chuck, issaid to have resulted from the study. Nevertheless, the chuck is complexbecause of the number of muscles and associated fibers that do not runin the same direction as each other. Thus, despite the efforts to dateas described above, there remains a need for additional methods ofproducing products from the chuck.

The “fabrication” of the beef carcasses is conducted in mass-productionoperations by beef packers, who harvest finished cattle purchased fromfeedlots and create primal, subprimal, and sometimes consumer-readycuts. The beef then is distributed to purveyors/processors or retailersfor further sale. Thus, there is a need for additional methods ofproducing products from the chuck for use in the mass-productionoperations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for mass-production butchering of abeef chuck roll including: locating the anterior side and posterior sideof the chuck roll;

making a first series of cuts into the chuck roll along lines notintersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form a first set ofseparate beef portions with increasing weights from initial to finalcuts in the first series, each beef portion having a thickness nogreater than 1 inch; making a second series of cuts into the chuck rollalong lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form asecond set of separate beef portions each having a thickness greaterthan the thicknesses of the beef portions in the first set.

The separate beef portions in the second set each may have a seam ofintramuscular fat, and the method further may include further cuttingeach of the beef portions in the second set proximate the seam toseparate each beef portion into two subportions. The method also mayinclude removing waste from at least one of the beef portions in thesecond set so that each of the subportions weighs between 8 oz. and 16oz.

In some embodiments, sinue is removed from at least one of thesubportions.

As much as ¾ of the chuck roll may be cut in the first and second seriesleaving a remaining portion of at least ¼ of the chuck roll. Theremaining portion may be cut into a plurality of portions. Each of theplurality of portions of the remaining portion may be sized for use as apot roast or for use in beef stew. In addition, the method may includeremoving waste from the first set of beef portions so that each portionweighs between 8 oz. and 16 oz. Fat may be removed from at least one ofthe beef portions. Furthermore, the method may include aging the beefportions.

In some embodiments, the chuck roll includes abundant marbling.

The invention also relates to a method for mass-production butchering ofa beef chuck roll comprising: locating the anterior side and posteriorside of the chuck roll; making a first series of cuts into the chuckroll along lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides toform a first set of separate beef portions with increasing weights frominitial to final cuts in the first series, each beef portion having athickness between 1 inch and 2 inches; making a second series of cutsinto the chuck roll along lines not intersecting the anterior andposterior sides to form a second set of separate beef portions.

The invention also relates to method for mass-production butchering of achuck roll of beef including: sectioning the chuck roll anterior to andgenerally parallel to the first rib to separate a neck portion thereoffrom a remainder thereof; sectioning the remainder into a first portionand a second portion substantially along a natural seam, the firstportion comprising rhomboideus, spinalis dorsi, and serratus ventralismuscles, and the second portion comprising multifidus dorsi, complexus,and longissimus dorsi muscles; sectioning the first portion tosubstantially remove the rhomboideus and the spinalis dorsi therefrom,leaving a denuded serratus ventralis; sectioning the serratus ventralisinto a first set of separate portions. The method may further include:sectioning the second portion into a second set of separate portions,each separate portion in the second set including the multifidus dorsi,complexus, and longissimus dorsi muscles. In addition, the method mayfurther include: removing from at least one of the first and secondportions excess material selected from the group consisting of fat,sinue, and connective tissue to expose a lean side thereof.

In some embodiments, the separate portions of the first set may havethicknesses between about 1 inch and about 1¼ inch, and in otherembodiments the separate portions of the first set may have thicknessesbetween about 2 mm and about 4 mm.

In some embodiments, the separate portions of the second set may havethicknesses between about 1¼ inch and about 1¾ inch, and in otherembodiments the separate portions of the second set may have thicknessesbetween about 2 mm and about 4 mm.

The method may further include mechanically tenderizing separateportions of the first set, and the separate portions of the first setmay be mechanically tenderized by needling on at least one side thereof.Also, the separate portions of the first set may be mechanicallytenderized by needling on both sides thereof.

The method may further include mechanically tenderizing separateportions of the second set, and the separate portions of the second setmay be mechanically tenderized by needling on at least one side thereof.Also, the separate portions of the second set may be mechanicallytenderized by needling on both sides thereof.

The method may further include releasably forming separate portions ofthe first set into a substantially arcuate shape, and the arcuate shapemay be maintained by twine or the arcuate shape may be maintained bypins.

The method may further include releasably forming separate portions ofthe second set into a substantially arcuate shape, and the arcuate shapemay be maintained by twine or the arcuate shape may be maintained bypins.

In some embodiments, the method may further include: wrapping separateportions of the first set in an outer layer selected from the groupconsisting of fat, bacon, and prosciutto. Also in some embodiments, themethod may further include: wrapping separate portions of the second setin an outer layer selected from the group consisting of fat, bacon, andprosciutto.

The natural seam may be fat.

In addition, the invention relates to a method for mass-productionbutchering of a beef chuck including: sectioning the beef chuck anteriorto and generally parallel to the first rib to separate a neck portionthereof from a remainder thereof; sectioning the remainder into a firstportion and a second portion substantially along a natural seam, thefirst portion comprising spinalis dorsi and serratus ventralis muscles,and the second portion comprising multifidus dorsi, complexus, andlongissimus dorsi muscles; sectioning the first portion to substantiallyremove the spinalis dorsi therefrom, leaving a denuded serratusventralis; sectioning the serratus ventralis into a first set ofseparate portions. The method may further include: sectioning the secondportion into a second set of separate portions, each separate portion inthe second set including the multifidus dorsi, complexus, andlongissimus dorsi muscles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features of the present invention are disclosed in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beef chuck roll for use with thepresent invention; and

FIG. 2 is a front view of a beef portion in the second set of beefportions cut from the chuck roll of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The chuck is generally the shoulder region of the animal, and includespart of the neck and backbone, the first five ribs (U.S.packer/processors typically make the chuck/rib break between the 5th and6th ribs), as well as portions of the shoulder blade and upper arm. Itcan weigh over 100 lbs.

Among the cuts derived from the chuck is the chuck roll, which is formedof muscle, fat, and connective tissue and typically weighs between 13and 21 lbs. In particular, a beef chuck roll may be a generally oblongboneless portion of beef that is derived from a neck off bonelesssquare-cut chuck (square blade chuck). The chuck roll may be producedfrom the upper portion of the chuck. In one preferred exemplaryembodiment, the chuck roll includes the large muscle system that liesbeneath the blade bone. The muscle system may be formed of thelongissimus dorsi, rhomboideus, spinalis dorsi, complexus, multifidusdorsi, serratus ventralis, subscapularis and splenius. The chuck rollmay not include the arm portion, which may be removed by a straight cutfor example that is between 0 inch and 3 inches ventral from thelongissimus dorsi at the rib end and between 0 inch and 4 inches fromthe complexus at the neck end. Also removed from the chuck roll may beany cartilages, bone chips, backstrap, trapezius, supraspinatus,intercostal meat (rib fingers), and prescapular lymph gland along withsurrounding fat, blood clots, and dark discolored tissue. In alternateexemplary embodiments, the beef chuck roll may be a bone-in cut thatincludes portions of the blade bone, arm bone and/or backbone.

The chuck roll includes (1) a dorsal side, e.g., located toward the backof the animal, (2) a ventral side, e.g., located toward the belly/bottomof the animal, (3) an anterior side, e.g., toward the front or cranialend of the animal, and (4) a posterior side, e.g., located toward therear or caudal end of the animal.

In a first exemplary method for butchering a beef chuck roll 10according to the present invention, suitable for example for use inmass-production butchering, the anterior side or front 12 and posteriorside or back 14 of a chuck roll are initially identified. Next, a firstseries of cuts are made into the chuck roll along lines 16 notintersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form a first set ofseparate beef portions 18. Preferably, the first series of cuts are madeso that each successive beef portion 18 a, 18 b, 18 c has increasingweight. Moreover, in one preferred exemplary embodiment each beefportion 18 a, 18 b, 18 c has a thickness no greater than 1 inch. In oneexemplary embodiment, each beef portion 18 a, 18 b, 18 c is about ¾ inchin thickness, as indicated for example by T1 in FIG. 1. In an alternateexemplary embodiment, each beef portion 18 a, 18 b, 18 c has a thicknessbetween 1 inch and 2 inches.

Next, a second series of cuts are made into the chuck roll along lines20 not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides 12, 14,respectively, to form a second set of separate beef portions 22. In onepreferred exemplary embodiment, each of the beef portions in the secondset has a thickness greater than the thicknesses of the beef portions inthe first set. As shown in FIG. 2, the separate beef portions 22 a, 22b, 22 c in the second set may each comprise a seam of intramuscular fat24. Thus, one or more of the beef portions 22 a, 22 b, 22 c in thesecond set may further be cut proximate the seam to separate each beefportion into two subportions 26, 28. In addition, waste may be removedfrom at least one of the beef portions in the second set, such asproximate region 30 which may be more tough than desired for use insteaks, so that each of the subportions 26, 28 weighs between 8 oz. and16 oz. In one exemplary embodiment, each beef portion 22 a, 22 b, 22 cis about 1¼ inch in thickness, as indicated for example by T2 in FIG. 1.The method may further include removing the sinue from at least one ofthe subportions 26, 28.

In the exemplary preferred embodiment, as much as ¾ of the chuck roll iscut in the first and second series leaving a remaining portion 30 of atleast ¼ of the chuck roll. Remaining portion 30 may be further cut intotwo or more portions, for example proximate the middle thereof from theanterior side 12 to the posterior side 14, thus forming sectionssuitable for use as pot roasts. Remaining portion 30 also may besectioned into portions sized for use in beef stew. In some embodiments,remaining portion 30 is not further sectioned, but instead for examplemay be tied to form a larger pot roast.

In some instances, waste such as undesired muscle, fat, and/orconnective tissue is removed from the first set of beef portions 18 sothat each portion 18 a, 18 b, 18 c weighs between 8 oz. and 16 oz. Also,fat may be removed from at least one of the beef portions of either set18 or 22.

It should be noted that although each of sets 18, 22 is shown with threeportions 16, 20, respectively, this example is non-limiting. Thus,depending on the size of chuck roll 10, other numbers of portions 16, 20may be cut, such as more than three or less than three portions ineither or both of sets 18, 22.

Preferably, chuck roll 10 has abundant marbling and is graded Prime, sothat the portions of beef from chuck roll 10 also may be considered asPrime. Also, in preferred embodiments, the portions of beef cut fromchuck roll 10 are aged. But in other embodiments, other grades may beused.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, other parts ofa chuck are contemplated for use in producing steaks. For example, theneck off the arm chuck also may be used with the “bone in.” Large beefportions or steaks from 14 oz. to 22 oz., and more preferably 16 oz. to20 oz., are contemplated. Also, the shoulder portion of the chuck may beused for example for minute steaks, sandwich steaks, fry steaks, andsteak on a bun. Beef portions of 3 oz. to 4 oz. are contemplated fromthe shoulder portion.

In accordance with another exemplary method of the present invention,mass production butchering will now be described for a #116A beef check,chuck roll (The Meat Buyer's Guide: Beef, Lamb, Veal, Pork, and Poultry.North American Meat Processors Association: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NewJersey, 2007).

The #116A beef chuck, chuck roll is boneless. It is derived from aneck-off boneless square cut chuck. This cut contains muscles includingthe rhomboideus, multifidus dorsi, complexus, longissimus dorsi,spinalis dorsi, and serratus ventralis.

Initially, the #116A beef chuck, chuck roll is split anterior to andgenerally parallel to the first rib, and preferably is split about 1.5inches anterior to the first rib (as used herein, the first rib is therib closest to the humerus, e.g., proximate the neck portion). Thisinitial sectioning of the chuck roll separates the neck portion (theanterior portion of the chuck roll) from the remainder of the chuckroll.

Next, with the neck portion removed, a natural seam in the remainder ofthe chuck roll is followed and the remainder is sectioned into twoportions: (1) a first portion with the rhomboideus, the spinalis dorsi,and the serratus ventralis, and (2) a second portion the multifidusdorsi, the complexus, and the longissimus dorsi. In a preferredexemplary embodiment, the muscles in each of the two portions areseparated together, e.g., in the first portion the rhomboideus, thespinalis dorsi, and the serratus ventralis are connected, while in thesecond portion the multifidus dorsi, the complexus, and the longissimusdorsi are connected.

The above-mentioned natural seam may be a seam of fat therebetween thatmay be intermuscular fat or intramuscular fat.

The first portion preferably is then sectioned so that the rhomboideusis removed because of its undesired toughness. In addition, the spinalisdorsi is removed (“squaring up” the serratus ventralis) along with fat,sinue, and connective tissue, e.g., the serratus ventralis is trimmed toexpose the lean. After this sectioning of the first portion, a denudedserratus ventralis remains. The serratus ventralis then is cut intoseparate portions which preferably are suitably sized for steaks. In anexemplary embodiment, the steaks formed from the serratus ventralis maybe between about 1 inch and about 1¼ inch in thickness, and preferablyabout 1 inch in thickness.

In an alternate embodiment, the serratus ventralis cut according to theabove-described method may not be sliced into individual steaks, butinstead may be used as a London Broil, pot roast, or for other purposes.

In yet another alternate embodiment, the first portion is sectioned sothat the spinalis dorsi is removed but the serratus ventralis and atleast a portion of the rhomboideus are left connected. Then, the firstportion with the serratus ventralis and rhomboideus is cut into separateportions which preferably are suitably sized for steaks, the individualsteaks having portions of one or both of the serratus ventralis andrhomboideus. In an exemplary embodiment, at least about 20 wt % of therhomboideus is cut from the first portion prior to cutting the firstportion into steaks. In another exemplary embodiment, between about 10%and about 90% of the rhomboideus is cut from the first portion prior tocutting the first portion into steaks.

Next, the second portion with the multifidus dorsi, the complexus, andthe longissimus dorsi is cut into steaks, with fat, sinue, andconnective tissue again being removed to expose the lean. In anexemplary preferred embodiment, the individual steaks each includeportions of the multifidus dorsi, complexus, and longissimus dorsimuscles. In an exemplary embodiment, the steaks formed from the secondportion may be between about 1¼ inch and about 1¾ inch in thickness.

After steaks are cut from the first and second portions, preferably thesteaks are needled. In particular, jaccarding (also known as needlingand blade tenderizing) is known as a technique for piercing meat fortenderizing. A double jaccarding machine, for example, needles a pieceof meat on both sides thereof. Although jaccarding is known in massproduction butchering, jaccarding typically is employed in suchoperations to larger cuts of meat—not individual steaks. In an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, the steaks cut from the serratusventralis are individually needled on each side thereof While the needlemarks may be visible in meat in the raw state, advantageously the marksare not necessarily visible in the meat once cooked.

In some embodiments, raw steaks produced from the first and/or secondportions of the chuck roll may be tied with butcher's twine for shapingand compacting, which also provides an attractive presentation to thecuts. The tying, for example, may permit a raw steak produced from thefirst and/or second portion of the chuck roll to have a generallycircular or otherwise arcuate shape. Alternatively, such a shape may beachieved by clamping the raw steak using pins.

Also, in some embodiments, raw steaks produced from the first and/orsecond portions of the chuck roll may be wrapped in fat, bacon, orprosciutto.

Moreover, in some embodiments, the neck portion initially separated fromthe chuck roll may be ground to produce ground beef.

In some embodiments, the first portion and/or the second portion may bethinly sliced into pieces with a thickness between about 2 mm and about4 mm. Such thin slices are known as “shabu-shabu” (which then may becooked for example in hot water or broth). In one exemplary embodiment,the serratus ventralis is chilled to facilitate slicing, and then thinlysliced instead of being cut entirely into steaks with substantiallygreater thickness.

The chuck roll, portions thereof, and steaks cut therefrom according toan exemplary embodiment may be injected with salt(s) such as sodiumchloride, calcium chloride, and/or sodium phosphate in solution (i.e.,in a saline solution) and/or other enhancers for enhanced moisture andenhanced flavor. In some exemplary embodiments, the chuck roll, portionsthereof, and steaks cut therefrom may be pounded.

In some exemplary embodiments, the chuck roll, portions thereof, andsteaks cut therefrom may be marinated.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, with the neck portion removed, anatural seam in the remainder of the chuck roll is followed and theremainder is sectioned into two portions: (1) a first portion with therhomboideus and the serratus ventralis, and (2) a second portion themultifidus dorsi, the complexus, the longissimus dorsi, and the spinalisdorsi.

It should be emphasized that although the sectioning of a #116A beefchuck, chuck roll has been described above, other forms of a beef chuckmay be used. For example, a #116D beef chuck, chuck eye roll includesthe multifidus dorsi, complexus, longissimus dorsi, and spinalis dorsi.(The Meat Buyer's Guide: Beef, Lamb, Veal, Pork, and Poultry. NorthAmerican Meat Processors Association; John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NewJersey, 2007). Thus, according to another aspect, the above-describedmethods may be used with a #116D product while not requiring removal orpartial removal of the rhomboideus (which is not included in a #116Dproduct).

The first portion and/or second portion in some embodiments may be usedin its entirety, or any portion thereof, for example as a roast, whichalso for example may be tied.

Moreover, the beef chucks described above may be aged before being cutor after being cut into first and second portions and/or individualsteaks therefrom.

While various descriptions of the present invention are described above,it should be understood that the various features can be used singly orin any combination thereof. Therefore, this invention is not to belimited to only the specifically preferred embodiments depicted herein.

Further, it should be understood that variations and modificationswithin the spirit and scope of the invention may occur to those skilledin the art to which the invention pertains. Accordingly, all expedientmodifications readily attainable by one versed in the art from thedisclosure set forth herein that are within the scope and spirit of thepresent invention are to be included as further embodiments of thepresent invention. The scope of the present invention is accordinglydefined as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1-24. (canceled)
 25. A method for mass-productionbutchering of a beef chuck having a first rib comprising: sectioning thebeef chuck anterior to and generally parallel to the first rib toseparate a neck portion of the beef chuck from a remainder of the beefchuck; sectioning the remainder into a first portion and a secondportion substantially along a natural seam, the first portion comprisingspinalis dorsi and serratus ventralis muscles, and the second portioncomprising multifidus dorsi, complexus, and longissimus dorsi muscles;sectioning the first portion to substantially remove the spinalis dorsitherefrom, leaving a denuded serratus ventralis; sectioning the serratusventralis into a first set of separate portions.
 26. The method of claim25, further comprising: sectioning the second portion into a second setof separate portions, each separate portion in the second set includingthe multifidus dorsi, complexus, and longissimus dorsi muscles.
 27. Amethod for mass-production butchering of a beef chuck having a first ribcomprising: sectioning the beef chuck anterior to and generally parallelto the first rib to separate a neck portion of the beef chuck from aremainder of the beef chuck; sectioning the remainder into a firstportion and a second portion substantially along a natural seam, thefirst portion comprising spinalis dorsi and serratus ventralis muscles,and the second portion comprising multifidus dorsi, complexus, andlongissimus dorsi muscles; sectioning the first portion to substantiallyremove the spinalis dorsi therefrom, leaving a denuded serratusventralis; sectioning the serratus ventralis into a first set ofseparate portions; wherein the remainder is formed from a chuck roll.28. A steak formed by a method for mass-production butchering of a beefchuck having a first rib comprising: sectioning the beef chuck anteriorto and generally parallel to the first rib to separate a neck portion ofthe beef chuck from a remainder of the beef chuck; sectioning theremainder into a first portion and a second portion substantially alonga natural seam, the first portion comprising spinalis dorsi and serratusventralis muscles, and the second portion comprising multifidus dorsi,complexus, and longissimus dorsi muscles; sectioning the first portionto substantially remove the spinalis dorsi therefrom, leaving a denudedserratus ventralis; sectioning the serratus ventralis into a first setof separate portions.
 29. The steak of claim 28, wherein the steak issized between about 14 oz. and about 22 oz.
 30. The steak of claim 28,wherein the steak is sized between about 16 oz. and about 20 oz.
 31. Thesteak of claim 28, wherein the steak has a thickness between about 1inch and about 2 inches.
 32. The steak of claim 28, wherein the steakhas a thickness no greater than about 1 inch.
 33. A roast formed by amethod for mass-production butchering of a beef chuck having a first ribcomprising: sectioning the beef chuck anterior to and generally parallelto the first rib to separate a neck portion of the beef chuck from aremainder of the beef chuck; sectioning the remainder into a firstportion and a second portion substantially along a natural seam, thefirst portion comprising spinalis dorsi and serratus ventralis muscles,and the second portion comprising multifidus dorsi, complexus, andlongissimus dorsi muscles; sectioning the first portion to substantiallyremove the spinalis dorsi therefrom, leaving a denuded serratusventralis; sectioning the serratus ventralis into a first set ofseparate portions.